This invention relates generally to bicycles, and more particularly to a combination stand and shelter for bicycles.
Cyclists often have to store their bicycles outside. When they do, rain can rapidly rust the bicycle's components, particularly the chain. Exposed bicycles are also good targets for theft and vandalism.
Garaging a bicycle protects it from the weather, thieves and vandals, but a garage or shed is in many cases not available. Besides, bicycles consume large volumes in a garage, unless very carefully stowed.
It would be useful to have a combination shelter and bike stand that could be quickly set up and installed anywhere, and whose function would be dedicated just to bicycle storage.
Prior inventors have proposed various devices for protecting vehicles, including bicycles. U.S. Pat. No. 1,918,523, for example, discloses a vehicle cover which is stored on a reel affixed above the rear bumper of the vehicle. A length of material is drawn from the reel, over the front of the car, and then is secured to the rear bumper. Wings on either side of the material can be folded out, once the cover is withdrawn, so that they drape over the sides of the car. Other reel-type vehicle covers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,991,612; 4,834,128; and 2,097,923.
Prior covers designed specifically for bicycles have typically been affixed to and carried on the vehicle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 587,569; 594,057 and 1,853,742 are representative. The obvious difficulty with such arrangements is their bulk and weight. Modern cyclists, obsessive about these factors, would reject such an approach.